Moving from Orlando, Florida, to Columbus, Ohio, this year, the 5th annual AIMExpo (American International Motor-cycle Expo, September 21-24) has announced that dealer registration is now open through the event website, and that Nationwide Insurance has become the event’s Presenting Sponsor.
Now owned by the MIC (the California headquartered domestic U.S. motorcycle industry trade association), AIMExpo last month announced strategic partnerships with two leading Columbus area dealerships - Iron Pony Motorsports and Harley dealer A.D. Farrow Co., as a new phase for the 2013 founded Expo sees it move closer to the heartland of the Harley-Davidson aftermarket and custom V-twin parts and accessory market.
In making the announcement of the change of host city for the event, last year the organizers said that “geographically, Columbus is ideally placed, with 41 percent of both franchised and independent dealerships in the U.S. located within a 500-mile radius of Columbus - a catchment that includes major markets like Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, and more.
“Ohio’s state capital is the 15th largest city in the country, and consistently ranks among the top cities for business growth.”
The move continues the US powersports industry’s tradition of staging its most popular trade events in the Mid-West, with the now closed Dealer News International Powersports Expo having been held at Cincinnati, Ohio, for many years before it moved to Indianapolis, and Easyrider’s Events’ V-Twin Expo being staged at Cincinnati since its inception.
Being staged at the Greater Columbus Convention Centre (GCCC), the show continues to offer a “European Style” formula, similar to that seen at INTERMOT/Cologne and EICMA/ Milan, with the first two days for trade/dealer only (September 21-22) and the weekend also allowing public admission.
As this edition of AMD Magazine went to press, public tickets had already been on sale for a week or two, with early bird incentives. A spokesperson for AIMExpo described demand so far as “robust” and ahead for the time in the cycle of that seen for the show when it was being staged in Florida.
The show will again feature the ‘Custom Culture’ show-within-show initiative being headed up by Bob Kay, the event’s V-Twin Market Director, and will again play host to the Championship of the Americas (COTA) – the AMD World Championship of Custom Bike Building Official Affiliate event for the United States, from which the winner will scoop bike freight and travel expenses to go forward to compete at ‘AMD XIII’ at INTERMOT ‘Customized’ in October 2018.
The 2016 Champion of the Americas, Jordan Dickinson (Union Speed & Style Cycle, Monticello, Minnesota) will be representing the United States at the 2018 AMD World Championship as a result of his win in the Freestyle class at Orlando last October.
www.aimexpousa.com